Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Honda Civic owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Driver's side sun visor defective. Visor started splitting, leading to inoperative, and finally fell off. Replaced by manufacturer a number of years ago, but design flaw not addressed causing persistent issue recurrence. Multiple complaints have been filed related to this issue. Following are some of the complaint record numbers: 110884671041796510466838 110630431041670210466343 110395371041422810462119 109831981041221710461924 109710161041170010461699 109368151041080710457914 109285781041061610456750 108965601041024110456044 108888061040930510454884 108858631040937310448984 108632171040869610432332 108462841040941710432252 107168651040740610430111 106761951040741410430141 106386011040692010428110 105211741042513210427775 104781981041925910426693 104754451042547910426377
The sun visors in this car are a severe problem as they break easily through normal average use and will not remain upright. They fall down and hang in the driver field of vision creating hazardous driving conditions posing injury to driver and anyone else nearby. The visors are not cheap to replace($50 to $100 each) and the replacements also break in a short time. I have already replaced once and both are broken again. This is a design flaw just like the alloy mixture in the lower engine block that causes cracking in the coolant passages in the block (look it up). Honda is supposed to be a quality product and it is obvious that the quality is eroding and Honda's lack of taking responsibility and admitting error and taking actions to correct further reflects poor commerce and care for their customers. …
The sun visor on the driver's side of my 2008 Honda Civic broke several months ago. I contacted the dealer and told this was a warranty item and the warranty had expired. I had the same problem with the passenger side about a year after I purchased the care in 2011 and was told it was a recall item, and had it replaced for free. I was told the driver's side visor would cost $70.00 plus tax to fix. I have chosen not to have it done, since I don't intend to keep the car much longer. It creates a safety issue because the visor will not stay up against the roof and interferes with line of sight at stop signs, etc. If I move it to the side window then the sun hits me directly in the eyes, creating issues also. Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that the coating on the front windshield created a glare on the window during night when the headlights of other vehicles reflected off the windshield. The contact stated the failure made it difficult to see and drive the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The contact took the vehicle to a body shop that specified in the windows on the vehicle and they informed the contact that the windshield had to be replaced. The windshield was not replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000. Updated 07/12/16
I have a 2008 Honda Civic lx and was driving down the highway when the visor suddenly fell in my point of view. Thankfully I was at a good cruising speed with no one around me. I read about the the civil suit and the supposed 100K mile extended warranty but when I took into the Honda dealership they denied paying for my visor saying the vehicle was to old. I only have 92K on the car and I think this should of been a recalled safety violation because if someone would of happened to be in front of me slowing down I would have lost most of my time to be able to brake.
There was a class-action suit regarding the Honda Civic 2008's sun visors. I received notice of this some time ago. As I had been parking in a garage for most of the time, my visors were fine. Since I switched jobs, and now park outdoors during the days, my right, passenger side visor has broken as the suit described. This happened, however, after the deadline for the settlement of the suit. I am now missing my passenger side visor and I expect the driver side to fail at any moment. It can fall while I'm driving, which is disconcerting.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. On several occasions, while driving, the driver and passenger side sun visors failed to stay up and would consistently drop, which blocked the contact's view. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the sun visors were cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Driver's side sun-visor split at the rear edge while driving. This limited the motion of the visor causing it to be flipped down while driving obscuring the view of the road for the driver. This caused driver distraction.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. While driving 60 MPH, the visor on the driver's side became detached. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and no repairs were made. The failure mileage was 72,000.
There has been no wreck or fire---this is a complaint for your TSB compilations....we have an 08 Civic lx: the transmission shifts roughly, and with delays. Slowing down and then re accelerating lightly causes a delay----as if the transmission/control module can't figure out which gear to get into--- and then a rough engagement. From d to reverse, there is a harder engagement than should be. It's as if there is a problem with the control module or the torque converter. My dealer says all these things are normal in a Civic auto transmission. We have an 07 accord exl and it has none of these problems, nor did any other vehicles I've had in the past with a.t. It seems there should be some control module reprogramming or software patch for this transmission. Also, as a safety problem, it is harder to see out of this windshield during rain, ESP. At night, than any car I've driven. …
Window & Wiper complaints in other Civic years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2008 Honda Civic?
NHTSA has 131 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2008 Honda Civic, 14% of the model year's 916 complaints. The component named most often is power window devices and controls (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Honda Civic window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2008 Honda Civic, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Honda Civic window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 44,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to windows, wipers & sunroof problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.